Paul Allan Ballard’s “The Departure” wraps up the The Empire Strikes Back 30th Anniversary Artwork Collection over on starwars.com. Paul also answered some questions there on the piece:

I went back and forth on the image I wanted to do. I had thought of doing a scene from the Rebel fleet at the end of the movie, but decided on Vader leaving Bespin because he is the driving force of the narrative that leads us directly into Return of the Jedi.

Posted on Del Rey’s facebook: The Del Rey staff associated with STAR WARS tries our best to stay in touch with what you, our readers, think of the books. We’ve read some interesting blogs about the EU lately, some positive, some negative, and some in between. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, we always love to hear them.

The universally beloved Chewbacca is making his debut in the one-hour, season three finale of The Clone Wars on April 1st. Quoting Peter Mayhew from The Homing Beacon (star wars.com): “[Supervising Director] Dave Filoni said my participation in creating Chewie for the series was essential,” says Mayhew. “He told his artists to study the way I walk, my mannerisms and demeanor. He said, ‘To understand Chewie, you need to understand Peter.’ We also went into the Lucasfilm archives and studied some of the original Chewie costumes to make sure the details were carried over into the animation.”

In addition, Peter Mayhew was asked to contribute the iconic Wookie growl which was added to the original sounds sourced from the same bank used for the live-action Star Wars movies. Mayhew stated that he’s been asked by fans for so many years that he’s actually gotten quite good at the growl.

“Chief of State Natasi Daala has been overthrown, and the Jedi Order has taken control of the Galactic Alliance. But while the new governors dismantle Daala’s draconian regime, forces still loyal to the deposed official are mobilizing a counterstrike. And even the Jedi’s new authority may not be enough to save Tahiri Veila, the former Jedi Knight and onetime Sith apprentice convicted of treason for the killing of Galactic Alliance officer Gilad Pellaeon.

Meanwhile, Luke and Ben Skywalker are relentlessly pursuing Abeloth, the powerful dark-side entity bent on ruling the galaxy. But as they corner their monstrous quarry on the planet Nam Chorios, the two lone Jedi must also face the fury of the Sith death squadron bearing down on them. And when Abeloth turns the tables with an insidious ambush, the Skywalkers’ quest threatens to become a suicide mission.”

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